He who builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him the like of it in Paradise.'

Arabic text

عَنْ ‌مَحْمُودِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ رضي الله عنه: أَنَّ ‌عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ أَرَادَ بِنَاءَ الْمَسْجِدِ فَكَرِهَ النَّاسُ ذَلِكَ، وَأَحَبُّوا أَنْ يَدَعَهُ عَلَى هَيْئَتِهِ، فَقَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «مَنْ بَنَى مَسْجِدًا لِلهِ بَنَى اللهُ لَهُ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِثْلَهُ».

Translation

Mahmūd ibn Labīd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'Uthmān ibn' Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to build the mosque, but the people did not like this idea, and they wished that he should keep it as it was. Thereupon, he said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'He who builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him the like of it in Paradise.'"

Explanation

'Uthmān ibn' Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to rebuild the Prophet's Mosque in a better way than its former state. But the people disliked that, as it would involve a change to the earlier condition of the Mosque's structure during the Prophet's lifetime. The Mosque was made of mud bricks, and its ceiling was made of palm branches. 'Uthmān, however, wanted to build it with stones and plaster. So, 'Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) informed them that he heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever builds a mosque to win the pleasure of Allah Almighty, not for show-off or reputation, Allah will give him the best reward of the same kind of his deed. The reward is that Allah will build for him the like of it in Paradise.

Benefits

• The Hadīth urges the construction of mosques and demonstrates the merit of doing so.
• The expansion and renovation of a mosque fall under the merit of building a mosque.
• It stresses the importance of sincerity to Allah Almighty in all deeds.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Prayer
• The rulings of mosques